Memorial Day 2017 In Dearborn Focuses On Service Women

DEARBORN, MI — Michigan’s longest running Memorial Day parade — hosted by the city of Dearborn on Monday starting at 10 a.m. — will salute “women in the military.” Grand Marshal Coast Guard Rear Admiral June E. Ryan will lead the parade, which will run west on Michigan Avenue from Maple Street to the Henry Ford Centennial Library.

“Having served in the U.S. Marine Corps in the 1980s, I saw advancements in recognition of women,” said Dearborn Allied War Veterans Council Commander Stephen Fletcher, who chose the theme. “But they still were not fully recognized. Right now, women are serving side by side with their male counterparts. Recognizing women this year also brings to light the opportunities that are available to them -- college, leadership positions, pilots, and a slew of other jobs.”

The parade will feature more than 60 marching groups and hundreds of veterans. The parade will also include eight school bands, community organizations, and a Coast Guard helicopter flyover. It’s one of the largest Memorial Day parades in the United States and the oldest continuous parade in Michigan at 93 years.

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This will also be the first year that the solemn remembrance ceremony that follows the parade will be at the new Veterans Park and War Memorial in front of the Centennial Library. The memorial park, dedicated last fall, features the four 7-foot monoliths that were previously at historic City Hall Park. They are a tribute to the 340 Dearborn men who gave the ultimate sacrifice in World War I, World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

Before the parade officially kicks off at 10 a.m., there will be a 9:40 a.m. ceremonial funeral procession drawing attention to veterans who die without resources, are cremated, but are never interred, staying instead on shelves in funeral homes, sometimes for decades. This year, unlike past Memorial Days, there are no actual cremains in the funeral procession.

The ceremonial funeral procession will still honor all forgotten or homeless veterans. Their fate is championed by the Missing in America Project and the DAWVC. The Edsel Ford High School Marching Band, which also includes students from Fordson High, will provide music for the solemn ceremony.

Ryan is the Ninth Coast Guard District Commander for the Great Lakes and Saint Lawrence Seaway, and has served on ships and stations across the country. She was a military advisor to the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and was only the third woman in history to serve as military aide to the president of the United States.

To see the parade lineup, visit www.cityofdearborn.org.

Photos courtesy of the city of Dearborn